Tiered Up: Shortstops

Ready to go the extra mile? Tiered Up looks at a more thorough way to set up your draft board than simple rankings.

With Troy Tulowitzki's ascension into the elite, and Derek Jeter's renaissance year, there's a top-heavy feel to the shortstop position. Anyone would love to have Hanley Ramirez, but even if you don't have a top-two pick, you can still land an elite guy within the next few rounds.

And make sure you do just that, as the talent level falls off a cliff after those guys are gone.

Sure, I can talk myself into a few middle-tier guys, but not owning one of the top five SSs puts you at a serious competitive disadvantage. It's easy to see why the top four at the position are gone within the first two rounds.

Still, if you're not one of the few that owns an elite guy, there are a few deep speed options to look at later in the draft. Everyone knows and loves Elvis Andrus right now, but there are a couple other relatively unknown speed demons at the position to target.

Before we discuss them, let's look at the top of the board. Each player is listed with his Median Draft Position (explained here).

Tier 1

Hanley Ramirez, Marlins (2)
Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies (16)
Jose Reyes, Mets (21)
Jimmy Rollins, Phillies (23)
Derek Jeter, Yankees (34)

Technically, Ramirez is in a class all by himself. Jeter is more Tier 1.5 than Tier 1, but he makes more sense here than at the top of Tier 2. We've shared our views on the middle three guys in this Tier at length, but I definitely think you should settle on your favorite of the three and take him in the second round.

Tier 2

Ben Zobrist, Rays (51)
Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks (114)
Alexei Ramirez, White Sox (101)
Jason Bartlett, Rays (97)

Does Zobrist belong in a group with the Tier 1 guys? Not yet -- he needs to prove himself one more time. Stephen Drew would be a steal if he could revert to 2008 form. You can tell more people are skeptical of Bartlett than Zobrist. As a whole, this group makes for a pretty sad consolation prize. I'd probably skip them altogether (unless I got Drew at great value).

Tier 3

Yunel Escobar, Braves (137)
Elvis Andrus, Rangers (132)
Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians (138)
Alcides Escobar, Brewers (211)
Everth Cabrera, Padres (232)
Miguel Tejada, Orioles (157)

Yunel Escobar made some nice gains in the second half, but he still needs to grow a bit more before being a solid fantasy SS. If you can't get a top-five SS, I'd roll with one of the young speed guys at the position. Andrus will cost the most, but Alcides Escobar and Everth Cabrera could be just as good, with the former having a better average and the latter having more speed. Take one of those two after about 180 to 200 picks.

Tier 4

Erick Aybar, Angels (207)
J.J. Hardy, Twins (231)
Ryan Theriot, Cubs (238)
Rafael Furcal, Dodgers (174)

Furcal is winding down and no longer worth a pick in most leagues. Hardy could have a nice bounce-back season in Minnesota -- before last year's slump, he was a consistent .275, 25-HR hitter. He should be your last option at the position if you need a middle infielder or want a SS to backup a weak starter.

Tier 5

Marco Scutaro, Red Sox (210)
Jhonny Peralta, Indians (213)
Orlando Cabrera, Reds (229)

Things get ugly pretty fast at the shortstop position, as you can see.

A position like first base experiences a gradual decline in talent across the board, but this position goes from great to OK to terrible in just a few moves. Avoid it all with one of the greats.